Star Wars Celebration kicked off today with the release of a new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh movie in the science fantasy series. The movie is set for release on December 18, 2015 and will feature many of the actors from the original trilogy of movies.

This is it, folks. We finally get a glimpse of JJ Abrams’ new Star Wars filming coming in December 2015. Enjoy this teaser and let us know what you think in the comments!

StarWars.com had some announcements for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII film.

Regarding the cast:

“Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.”

Regarding John Williams and the release date:

“Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.”

While its great to finally have confirmation on the cast and release date, the new revelations have been met with some disappointment at the near absence of any new women.

This announcement comes on the heels of news that the Star Wars expanded universe from the novels and other media, will not be acknowledged by any of the forthcoming movies. Instead, the expanded universe will live on under the banner of Star Wars: Legends. The movie canon will only be respecting the existing 6 movies and the Clone Wars television series.

“In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in [upcoming animated series] Star Wars Rebels.”

While it has not been officially confirmed, the internets are buzzing that JJ Abrams will direct the new Star Wars movie. The seventh in the franchise, the movie will take place after the events of Return of the Jedi. Word has it that Ben Affleck was also in contention to direct, but Kathleen Kennedy, the producer, was courting Mr. Abrams as the top choice.

Roberto Orci, co-writer of the recent and forthcoming Star Trek films, seems to think the news is quite true.
He commented on his twitter account.

“@naddycat: @boborci Any chance you can confirm/deny about Mr Abrams directing Star Wars? So far just a lot of “sources say”…” True!

Abrams’ latest film, Star Trek: Into Darkness, is set to be released to theaters May 17. Reaction is mixed. While many are excited, others are apprehensive that the Star Trek director will helm the film for the main franchise competitor, Star Wars.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see Keri Russel as an extra…

[Source]

[UPDATE] Disney has confirmed that JJ Abrams will direct Star Wars Episode VII!

A couple of weeks ago at Fan Expo in Toronto, City TV held an advanced screening of the premiere episode of J.J. Abrams’ new TV series “Revolution”. This episode was directed by Jon Favreau, actor and director of movies such as Swingers and Iron Man. As I was not asked to sign an NDA I’ve gathered some thoughts on it and tried to keep spoilers to a minimum but if you’re still not looking to read on I’ll just say that I enjoyed the first episode despite some minor issues and that I’m willing to give the show a chance, hoping it doesn’t become horrible.

I original wrote this review almost two weeks ago but I dragged my ass on posting it for so long that you can now watch the first episode on the NBC web site so forget my review, just go watch it.

The premise of the series is simple and can be inferred quite easily from the trailer. Something, we’re not told what, happens which makes the power go out and then 15 years later we’re shown the world which now exists. This pretty much happens right away as only a short few minutes are shown at the onset of the episode and then quickly this event occurs, and we immediately begin to follow the real flow of the story of this post apocalyptic future world.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

In what should have been a forgotten series, Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams breathe new life and maybe too many laughs in the languishing franchise. To be fair the current trend in action films is lean more towards the comic relief, but there are series that are entrenched in a legacy that transcends current fads. Consider for a moment, if you remember a lot of knee-slappers in the Bourne legacy or if indeed James Bond left you in stitches with his drink order. The Mission Impossible franchise, the films at least, were following this very paradigm; but to a detriment. By the time the third film came out the word of mouth informed many a casual fan that if you barely followed the plot of the sequel don’t bother to finish out the third installment. In a rare feat of cinematic resuscitation the brains behind the latest iteration of the Mission Impossible franchise has moved the series in the right direction.

To say the film moves at a break-neck speed is a disservice to the thought and careful plotting behind all of the action and exposition. Basically it looks great with smart gadgets and a plot that is within the viewers grasp. The first twenty minutes of the film are tightly plotted and paced to really reach in and grab the viewer. The best part of the opening of the film is that it has struck the correct balance of showcasing the beloved parts of the series as well as showcasing the stylistic and comedic flares that Bird and Abrams bring to the series.

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Emerson plays a wealthy surveillance expert who pulls Caviezel out of his homeless beard to use him as a blunt force in a mysterious crime fighting operation.

This show better not suck.

Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

What is this composite, amalgamated entity? If you’re a fan of anything Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, or generally geek, you’ve seen movies and/or TV shows by at least one of these three gentlemen — if not all three — even if you don’t know their names. Of the many things they have in common, the most obvious (and least important) is that all of their names start with “J”. I frequently can’t think of one without thinking of the other two. Together they are like some triune entity, the three faces of a Geek (not “Greek”) god.

Let’s explore their credentials together.

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